Indianapolis—Governor Mike Pence issued the following statement at the close of the 2015 session of the Indiana General Assembly.

“After months of effort, the 2015 session of the Indiana General Assembly has come to a close, marked by historic investments in education, innovation and reform. From the outset of this session, I called on our General Assembly to make this an education session and fund excellence in education in all our schools from pre-K to career and technical education opportunities at the high school level, and I am truly grateful for the dedication of members of the Indiana General Assembly who have advanced reforms in education that will benefit all our kids, our families, our teachers, and our schools.

“On education, this budget continues the pre-K pilot program started last year and includes a historic investment in K-12 education, including performance funding for teachers and a smarter school funding formula that ensures that dollars more closely follow the child. It invests in our vision to make career and technical education a priority so our students can develop the skills they need to succeed in today’s work place. It includes first-ever facilities funding for public charter schools, and supports school choice for Hoosier families and students by eliminating the cap on vouchers and increasing the cap on the Scholarship Granting Organization tax credit.

“All of these measures will serve our students well and ensure that Hoosiers have the educational opportunities they need to build a strong and prosperous future.

“Hoosiers will also be glad to know that we have continued to uphold our fiscal integrity by passing a balanced budget and begun the process of adding a balanced budget amendment to the Indiana Constitution to require future state governments to spend wisely, live within their means, and protect our children and grandchildren from facing mountains of debt.

“We are expanding on our efforts to attract new investment to Indiana by reforming the tax code to improve our business climate and providing $200 million for Major Moves 2020 road projects. We also invested in the Regional Cities Initiative, which sets the framework for neighboring communities across the state to work together to develop a vision to promote economic growth on a regional basis.

“Finally, this General Assembly and our Administration have seen to the health and well-being of Hoosiers, especially our children, by providing a subsidy for parents who adopt a child from the state foster care system and funding new caseworkers at the Department of Child Services. We applaud efforts to tackle the heartbreak of infant mortality, see to the needs of our state’s veterans, prevent domestic violence, and create the state’s first fire training academy to better prepare our public safety workers.

“I commend the legislative leadership, especially Senate President Pro Tem David Long and Speaker of the House Brian Bosma, for making this education session a success. We are grateful to them and to all the men and women who spent countless hours away from their homes and families to make Indiana a better and more fiscally sound state. Their actions will strengthen Indiana. On behalf of all Hoosiers, I thank every member of the 2015 session of the Indiana General Assembly for their dedicated public service.”

State Sen. Vaneta Becker (R-Evansville) announced today’s passage of Indiana’s next two-year budget and the conclusion of the 2015 legislative session.

Becker said a major accomplishment for Southwest Indiana is $25.2 million allocated in this year’s budget directed to the Evansville Multi-Institutional Health and Sciences Center, with $19.2 million going to Indiana University School of Medicine located in downtown Evansville and $6 million going to the University of Southern Indiana. The University of Evansville will also be collaborating with the state on this project and will provide $6 million.

The biennial budget passed today also includes no tax increases and prioritizes education funding with a $474 million increase for K-12 schools. The budget bill, House Enrolled Act 1001, now awaits the governor’s consideration.

In addition to the budget, Becker pointed out noteworthy bills she authored that passed during the 2015 legislative session:

• Senate Enrolled Act 370 designates the Republic Aviation P-47 Thunderbolt, produced in Evansville during World War II and commonly known as the “Indiana Warbird,” the official state aircraft of Indiana.
• Senate Enrolled Act 123 permits the establishment of a new Indiana University School of Medicine in downtown Evansville.
• Senate Enrolled Act 464 increases mental health and addiction treatment for criminal offenders to address the root causes of crime.

“The General Assembly passed many important initiatives to benefit all Hoosiers, and I’m particularly proud of those measures that will help improve health care and education, as well as recognize important state history in Southwest Indiana and around the state,” Becker said. “It has been a productive session focused on crafting a budget that allocates money to the areas of greatest need such as our classrooms, both K-12 and higher education.”

The Senate is now adjourned “sine die”— which signifies the end of the 2015 Indiana General Assembly.